Idelfonso Bethelmy: WBC Super-Featherweight Challenger
Idelfonso Bethelmy was a Venezuelan professional boxer who challenged Rafael “Bazooka” Limón for the vacant WBC super-featherweight championship in 1980. His professional record includes domestic contests in Venezuela and appearances elsewhere in the Americas. His world-title opportunity took him to the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles, where Limón won by a fifteenth-round stoppage.
Career and championship record
Bethelmy’s recorded professional activity began in July 1974. Much of his schedule took place in Caracas, although his early career also included contests in Maracaibo, Valencia and Ciudad Bolívar. Overseas appearances included fights in Colombia and the Dominican Republic before his later championship assignment in California.
His early opposition included Ricardo Cardona and Leonardo Cruz, both of whom defeated him in 1975. Bethelmy subsequently recorded victories over opponents including Mario Martinez, Lorenzo Torres and Wilson Mosquera. He also defeated Rafael Solis by knockout in Caracas in May 1977.
The results leading into the Limón fight included a points win over Leonel Hernandez in December 1979 and further victories in Caracas during 1980. Those contests formed part of his route from the Venezuelan circuit to a major world-championship opportunity in the 130-pound division.
Bethelmy and Limón met on December 11, 1980. The WBC super-featherweight championship had become vacant after Alexis Argüello’s reign. Their contest was scheduled for fifteen rounds, and Limón stopped Bethelmy in the last round to become champion. The championship chronology identifies Limón, rather than Bethelmy, as the winner of the vacant belt.
Limón’s subsequent title history helps place the contest in its period. He lost the championship to Cornelius Boza-Edwards in March 1981, later regained it against Rolando Navarrete in 1982, and then lost to Bobby Chacon. Bethelmy’s Los Angeles appearance belongs to the start of Limón’s first WBC super-featherweight reign.
Bethelmy returned to recorded competition after the title defeat. His final listed bout was a points draw with Felix Mendez in Caracas on November 25, 1981. The surviving ledger lists a completed record of 21 wins, five defeats and three draws, rather than presenting that total as his record before the Limón contest.
Sources
Additional sources: https://boxerlist.com/boxer/idelfonso-bethelmy/43948; https://titlehistories.com/boxing/wbc/wbc-world-sf.html; https://www.cyberboxingzone.com/boxing/limon-bazooka.htm
Additional sources: https://cyberboxingzone.com/boxing/limon-bazooka.htm; https://cletoreyes.com/pages/rafael-bazooka-limon
